Innovation "made in Europe": what new disruptive technologies are expected in 2018?

By working in 5 key areas of Digital deep tech, EIT Digital will deliver over 50 new products and services this year that will re-shape Europe’s digital landscape.

All over the globe, new software-based technologies pump-out every day, changing our industries, public administrations, and our very single day by day as citizens. EIT Digital is making sure that Europe plays a leading role in this “race” and also that the technologies developed in the EU follow the values and rights that we have always fought for: we need to preserve the rights and liberties of the analogic Europe in the digital Europe.

Therefore, EIT Digital and its network of over 150 partners develop together every year a series of tech projects called Innovation Activities that deliver new products or services, create startups and spinoffs, commercialising outputs and transferring technologies for market entry.

In order to target the fields with more economic and societal impact, and to foresee the new trends to come in the industry, EIT Digital works on 5 great areas of innovation and entrepreneurship, that are considered the pillars of Europe’s top-level digital technologies. These 5 pillars are:

Digital Cities. Leveraging the digital transformation of the cities through centralised, participative and collaborative interactions between city actors, this “urban” Action Line is currently developing 9 Innovation Activities including security services to make cities more resilient, mobility products that will make our towns better connected and cleaner, and information technologies to make cities more transparent and open to citizens participation.

Digital Industry. The mission of the Action Line is to improve efficiency in production and retail, to better address customer needs, and to help save natural resources in manufacturing and logistics. During 2018, 13 incredible new solutions are on progress. They will cover industrial fields such as the use of drones and automated vehicles to move goods more effectively, or tools to reduce production and assembly errors.

Digital Infrastructure. This Action Line is a core enabler of the digital transformation by providing secure, robust, responsive and intelligent communications and computation facilities that are necessary for vertical segments. For 2018, 10 new services or products will arrive, including security services for critical infrastructures, API-based technology safety, and Ultra-Low Energy wireless sensor nodes.

Digital Wellbeing. It leverages digital technologies to stay healthy (prevention and early detection) or cope with an existing chronic condition. Both physical and mental wellbeing are considered. With 11 disruptive technologies being developed, the Action Line is bringing to the market new solutions for the elderly, to fight cyberbullying, or for Asthma control.

Digital Finance. The Action Line focuses on the three most important sectors for the finance industry: the retail banking sector, corporate banking services and the asset/wealth management sector. 8 Innovation Activities covering from financial services on-demand to Identity chain will deliver fintech solutions at the end of the year.

Our Action Line Leaders and field experts give us some insights:

Stéphane Péan, Digital Cities Action Line Leader asserts: “The portfolio 2018 has a strong marketing focus on the use of robots and drones in cities, which take care of the environment or support security and emergency issues. In addition, a LoRa based smart parking solution makes the Digital Cities Action Line enter the automotive industry field. Last but not least, The City Enabler open-platform will be strongly promoted to the market this year through a roadshow to target different European cities.”

Petri Liuha, Digital Industry Action Line Leader says: “In 2018 our Action Line’s activities will be focused on smoothing up the flow of people and goods in factories, on analysing data coming from connected objects for marketing purposes and on using artificial intelligence and augmented reality to improve efficiency on the shop floor and in retail.”

Johan Kortas, Digital Wellbeing Action Line Leader, adds: “In 2018, we’re focusing on 3 different target groups: professional workers in occupational health; independent living, active healthy ageing; and elderly people at home. Because of the ageing population, society needs to solve the dilemma of increased personal demand for health and wellbeing services, while health budgets have reached their limits. EIT Digital approaches this challenge by leveraging and investing in digital technologies enabling more prevention and early detection of diseases and disorders. This will reduce the pressure on the healthcare systems in Europe as well as to help those with an existing chronic condition to cope.”

Antonio García-Hortal, Digital Finance Action Line Leader, ends: “In EIT Digital, we recognise the value that new technologies, like Big Data or Blockchain, are providing to the Digital Finance Industry as innovation enablers, but we always highlight that our approach have to look first at the problems or opportunities for businesses or people (“what for”) and then choose the best technology to solve them (“how”). Only this will be the secret of an effective innovation.”